The St. Patrick's Day Dash, a Seattle tradition for the past two decades, is scheduled Sunday morning. Dashers will travel east from the foot of Queen Anne Hill, on Mercer Street to Ninth Avenue, south to Republican Street, west to Aurora Avenue North, then south along Highway 99 and the Alaskan Way Viaduct to the First Avenue South ramp near Safeco Field. The finish line is near Safeco Field.

The dash will close the viaduct's northbound lanes for more than two hours. The closure — between the West Seattle Bridge and Mercer Street — will last from about 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Mercer Street near Seattle Center will be cordoned off, and streets along the nearly 3.5-mile dash route to Pioneer Square will be blocked off for the thousands of runners, walkers and joggers expected to participate in the event, which will start at 9 a.m.

Locks closure

The small lock at the Ballard Locks will be closed from 7 a.m. Monday until 4 p.m. March 24 for annual maintenance by the Seattle District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the locks. The large lock will remain open for boat traffic through that period.

Tomorrow

• Marriage Equality Now — a Seattle-based coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and straight activists — has scheduled a march and rally in support of legalized marriage for same-sex couples in this state on Saturday, starting at noon at Seattle Central Community College. After a procession from Broadway and Pine Street on Capitol Hill to Westlake Center at Fourth Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle, the rally will be held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Rally speakers will include State Rep. Ed Murray, Jamie Pederson of Lambda Legal, film director Drew Emery, and the Rev. Monica Corsaro of the Religious Coalition for Equality.

• Seattle Radical Women will note International Women's Day with a program honoring women as a force for human survival, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave. S. (Information: 206-722-6057).

• Students in the Amnesty International Group at Seattle's Garfield High School will hold a benefit concert, Jamnesty, starting at noon Saturday at Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., to raise money for the International Rescue Committee in Uganda, which provides rehabilitation for thousands of former child soldiers. (Information: 206-322-7030.)

Library survey

The Seattle Public Library is taking a survey of library patrons' views about library programs and events. The survey is online at www.spl.org. (Click on "Take Our Survey Now.") Printed surveys also can be found at the downtown Central Library's check-in/check-out desks on Levels 1 and 3, and at the Capitol Hill, Ballard, Beacon Hill, Lake City and Rainier Beach branches. The deadline to submit the survey is Wednesday. Information: 206-386-4636.

Can you help?

The state's ferry system is hoping to recruit 14 volunteers from Puget Sound-area communities to help with planning a new ferry terminal at Pier 52's Colman Dock on the Seattle waterfront. The mission of Washington State Ferries' Community Advisory Group will be to offer suggestions throughout the development process. Volunteers need not be ferry riders. Information about the group is online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/projects/seattlecolmandock/.

Here & Now is compiled by Seattle Times staff reporter Charles E. Brown and news assistant Suesan Whitney Henderson. To submit an item, e-mail herenow@ seattletimes.com or call 206-464-2226.

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